Moulded plastic article



y 1960 c. G. SIMMONDS I 2,944,459

MOULDED PLASTIC ARTICLE Filed Aug. 20. 1956 Invenlor (flair/2s 6. Sim/270M y wm/ instrument for locating the v 2,944,459 ICE Patented July 12, 1960 2,944,459 MOULDED PLASTIC ARTICLE Charles George Simmonds, 94 Sloane Ave., Chelsea,

7 London SW. 3, England Filed Aug. 20, 1956, Ser. No. 605,008 1 Claim. 01. 84-380 To give satisfactory and consistent results, the formation of the knife edge and the wind passage and their relationship to one another have to be correct within close limits, and the present invention has for its object to provide an improved construction and method of manufacture which enables the required accuracy and consistency of form and disposition of the wind passage and knife edge in relation both to one another and to the bore of the instrument to be obtained by the use of plastic moulding and other repetitive manufacturing methods.

According to the present invention, the mouthpiece portion, with its tip shaped for engagement by the lips of the player, is constructed as a moulding of synthetic resin material with the wind passage cored therethrough during the moulding operation, the moulding being formed at its inner end with locating means which inter-engage with complementary means on a tubular part of the moulded mouthpiece in the correct and aligned position with the tubular part of the instrument when the components are assembled together.

According to a feature of the invention, the knife edge is formed on a tubular part of the instrument which is separate from the moulded mouthpiece which is moulded with locating means which interengage with complementary means on the tubular part so that the discharge orifice o-f the Wind passage cored from end to end through the mouthpiece will be spaced from and aligned with the knife edge when the mouthpiece and tubular part are assembled together. The wind passage may be of arcuate cross-section and have a slight taper from its outer to its inner end.

The locating means at the inner end of the mouthpiece preferably comprises a part-circular slot or cavity extending into the inner end of the mouthpiece for a short distance, this slot being disposed around that part of the end of the mouthpiece which lies diametrically opposite to the wind passage. This slot is adaptedto fit over a complementary part-circular stem extending from the end of a tubular part of the instrument; The gap in this stem may be cut by the cutting tool which is used to form the knife edge in the tubular part of the instrument, the tool completely cutting through the stern beyond the end of the knife piece to. leave the gap. The gap may be subsequently widened. Alternatively, where the tubular part with the knife edge is also formed as a plastic moulding, the gap of the part-circular stem may be formed in the moulding operation. In either case, by pushing the part-circular stem into the slot in the end of the mouthpiece, the two parts are assembled together with the wind passage correctly positioned with respect to the knife edge.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an exploded view of the parts at the mouthpiece end of a recorder constructed according to one embodiment of this invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical section through the mouthpiece and the tubular part which incorporates the knife edge.

Figure 3 is a plan view of a mouthpiece and tubular adaptor according to another embodiment of the invention.

Figure 4 is a section on the line A-A of Figure 3, also showing the adaptor fitted into a sleeve for connecting the adaptor and mouthpiece to the remainder of the tubular part of the instrument.

The recorder shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings comprises a mouthpiece 1, a tubular part 2 which incorporates the knife edge, and a further tubular part 3 provided with the stops and which detachably fit into the end of the part 2, as shown in Figure 2, although if desired the two parts 2 and 3 may be made as a single unit.

The part 2, which may be made of wood, is of generally tubular form, the tube being slotted at its end adjacent the mouthpiece to form the knife edge 4. At its end, the diameter of the tube is reduced and the material further cutaway at opposite sides of the slot to form a part-circular stem 5.

The mouthpiece 1 is constructed as a moulding of a synthetic resin with its external configuration shaped for engagement by the lips of the player. Formed in the mouthpiece during the moulding operation and extending from one end to the other thereof is a wind passage 6 which is of arcuate cross-section, as shown in Figure l, and has a slight taper from its outer to its inner end, as shown in Figure 2. The inner end of the mouthpiece is also formed with a part-circular slot or cavity 7 in that part of the end of the mouthpiece which lies diametrically opposite to the wind passage. This slot is of a shape and size corresponding to the part-circular stem 5, so that by inserting the stem 5 into the slot the mouthpiece is fitted to the end of the tubular part 2. The slot 7 and stem 5 form complementary locating means and ensure that the discharge orifice of the wind passage 6 is correctly spaced from and located in relation to the knife edge 4 when the mouthpiece 1 is assembled to the part 2. The mouthpiece may be secured to the part 2, for example by sticking, or may simply be held in place by friction so that it can be readily removed for cleaning.

In order to reduce the amount of plastic material used in the manufacture of the mouthpiece 1 and also to facilitate the moulding, the inner end of the mouthpiece is formed with a hollow cavity 8 which may be closed by a disc 9 secured in a recess at the end of the cavity.

Figures 3 and 4 show a modified construction according to the invention in which the knife edge is also formed in a tubular adapt-orpart constructed as a moulding of synthetic resin material. This adaptor part 2a is, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, moulded as a tube of synthetic resin material with an enlarged part 10 in which the knife edge is formed during the moulding process. The end of the adaptor is shaped as a part-circular stem 5a, equivalent to the stem 5 in Figure 1, which is adapted to fit in the part-circular recess 7 formed in the mouthpiece 1 which is identical with the mouthpiece shown in Figure 1.

Over the opposite end of the adaptor 2a fits a sleeve W. Pandas,

3 2b the end of which is adapted to receive the part 3 of the recorder.

What I claim is:

A tubular wind musical instrument comprising a tubular part having a stem of part-circular cross section projecting from one end thereof, the Wall of said tubular member having a slot therein extending from said one end at a position diametrically opposite the middle of said part-circular stem and shaped to form a knife edge facing said one end, and a mouthpiece having in one end thereof an arcuate cavity complementary to said part-circular stem, said stem being inserted into said cavity, and said mouthpiece having a wind passage extending from end to end therethrough and providing a discharge orifice Which is complementary to, spaced from, and aligned with said knife edge.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Germany Oct. 11, 1954 

